Idaho’s Lolo wolf plan put on hold

[large thumbnail url=”idahos-lolo-wolf-plan-put-on-hold” filename=”news” year=”2010″ month=”11″ day=”08″] [thumbnail icon url=”idahos-lolo-wolf-plan-put-on-hold” filename=”news” year=”2010″ month=”11″ day=”08″] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have suspended the progress of the Idaho petition to kill more than 40 wolves in the Lolo zone has to undergo a review before any decision will be made.

Idaho petitioned the Federal government to give them permission to kill more than 40 wolves in the Lolo zone, a controversial area where two specific elk herds are experiencing 25 years of declines.

Idaho director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Brian Kelley, told the Associated Press that a National Environmental Policy Act review was necessary prior to any decisions being made about the petition. It’s unclear how long such a review might take. The Idaho Mountain Express said that the USFWS did not respond to a phone call asking for estimates on the timeline for completing the review.

With the return of wolves to the full protections of the Endangered Species Act following Judge Molloy’s ruling, Idaho and Montana are given some options for dealing with wolves which they consider a threat to the survival of ungulate herds.

The infamous 10(j) section of the ESA offers a provision for this very situation, however the state must prove that there is an issue which must be dealt with and the plan must get federal approval.